Lighter Strawberry Muffins

This is definitely a new favorite for something sweet that could double as breakfast or a dessert. I was really trying to reduce the amount of egg, milk, sugar, and flour to cut calories and fat and the result is really quite satisfying! (My calculations put these muffins at 175 calories each)

Strawberry Muffins

1 stick salted butter, room temp
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 cup of strawberry puree*
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1-2 tbsp flour
optional red coloring

*For puree you can use 1/2 lb of frozen thawed strawberries or the equivalent of fresh strawberries with 1 tbsp of added water to loosen the mixture.

Preheat your oven to 375º and line a dozen standard muffin tin with liners.

Cream together butter and sugar, then mix in egg. Once well mixed, add puree and vanilla extract and 4-5 drops of red food coloring if desired (without the coloring, the fresh puree in the batter will make the muffins dark brownish. If you are serving them to people besides yourself, you may want to brighten up the color a little to make them more obviously strawberry and a little more visually appealing).

Separately, mix together baking soda, powder, and flour. Slowly mix these dry ingredients into your wet mix until just combined.

With a rubber spatula, fold in oats. Spread the strawberries out over a paper towel and pat dry a bit. In a separate bowl, sprinkle and toss chopped strawberries with enough flour to coat them, as this will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin while baking. Once coated, fold into the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin liners and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick. Allow to cool slightly before eating/serving. Enjoy!

Crawfish Etouffee

I LOVE Cajun/Creole food. It ties with Mexican food for my all time favorite. I don't live anywhere near a decent Cajun restaurant so, in order to keep my cravings satisfied, I've had to start creating my own Louisiana culinary delights at home. Here is my most recent recipe for all you Etouffee lovers!

Crawfish Etouffee

Roux:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour

3 cups cooked crawfish tails
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
cajun seasoning, to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken or fish stock
4 tbsp butter
2 green onions, diced


In a small skillet or saucepan, whisk together veg oil and flour. Bring to medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook until the roux reaches a brown color a shade or two darker than peanut butter (this could take anywhere from 7-12 minutes depending on your stove). Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large skillet, melt butter and saute celery, onion, and bell pepper until soft. Pour in chicken stock and adjust to medium heat. Add in tail meat and green onion and simmer 2-3 minutes*. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in cooled roux (the oil may slightly separate while cooling, just whisk to combine again before adding it) and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened to a gravy like consistency. At this point, lower the heat to low and season to taste with your cajun seasoning blend.

Serve with cooked rice and enjoy!

*If you are using the frozen cooked crawfish tails, simmer a bit longer to help cook out some of that "dirty" flavor that they can sometimes have. Keep in mind, the seasoning will flavor the tails well also.